Interview with WCG 08 VF5 finalists Danny and Wilson

Danny (left) and Wilson, runner-up and champion, respectively, for the WCG Singapore 2008.

Those who watched the electrifying VF5 WCG Singapore National Finals title match between Danny "Danny" Koo and Wilson "Tetra" Chia would have agreed that the two players were equally matched, with the crown still in contention all the way to the fifth and final tie-breaker game. What people might not know is that the two are firm friends, going back some 7 years. VGSG did a quick interview with Danny and Wilson, which you can read after the jump.

Danny, 28, helps out in his father’s construction business as a project manager. Once a year, he manages to take time off to visit Japan for vacation, having visited Japan 6 times over the past 6 years.

"I met a Japanese friend over here in Singapore in the arcade, and he told me about Japan," explains Danny. "It’s just a whole different world." Danny fell in love with the Japanese culture, food and the beautiful cherry blossoms. However, his trips are not just all about indulging himself – Danny uses his time there to play and train with the best VF players there.

This year marks the first time that Danny has participated in the competitive scene, with a third placing at the [email protected] Gaming Challenge being his first taste of victory.

In contrast, Wilson, 27, is a veteran of the Singapore and international competitive gaming circuit. A three-time WCG Singapore gold medalist (for Dead or Alive) and representative, Wilson’s crowning achievement was winning the Championship Gaming Series Dead or Alive 4 individual championship during the 2007 CGS season.

Wilson had played Virtua Fighter since it was released back in 1993, but the paths of these two firm friends only crossed sometime in 2001, when they were introduced to each other by friends in the Virtua Fighter 4 arcane scene.

Back then, Danny was just starting out, losing practically every game he played. However, he continued working at it, reading websites, watching videos and using his Japan trips to improve his game, eventually becoming one of the best players in the Singapore community.

By the time Wilson first switched to VF5 in preparation for this year’s WCG, the tables had turned – Danny was the one handing out thrashings to Wilson this time around. Wilson admits that he was horrible at Virtua Fighter 5
just a few months ago. "I used to get thrashed by Danny when I first
starting playing this version of VF," said Wilson.

"Wilson is very hardworking," says Danny, acknowledging Wilson’s fast improvement. It was a combination of Wilson’s talent, experience, hard work and tough training regime that helped improve his game so quickly. In the few months leading up to WCG, Danny and Wilson would train
online via Xbox Live and the pair would frequently head to each others’
homes to play together.

By the time they met on-stage at the finals of the WCG Singapore National Finals, they were comfortable with each other and felt no pressure. The pair had the following to say after their final match:

Danny: It was very close and exciting.

Wilson: It was fun, because we treated it as a normal game.

Danny: We weren’t feeling any pressure at all.

Tellingly, one of Wilson’s reasons for not feeling any pressure to win was that Danny is a strong player in his own right, and either of them would have definitely done Singapore proud.

Hopefully, we will be able to see more of Danny and Wilson, two of the best the Singapore Virtual Fighter community has to offer, in future competitions.